London. Home to the Queen, the Houses of Parliament, the Shard, the West End...

But for all its glamour, you also have extortionate property prices, rents that make your eyes water, the rush hour hell of the Tube, a concrete jungle and no one speaks to each other.

Then there's Leeds. All the entertainment and excitement of a thriving city sprinkled with Yorkshire friendliness, affordable pints and more beautiful green spaces than you can shake an Oyster card at.

We know there are Londoners who will be keen to see how our great city measures up to the capital.

So to clear things up, we've written this totally, er, objective argument that (sort-of) scientifically examines how Leeds and London stack up.

Spoiler alert: we win. And here's why.

Green space and national parks

Sutton Bank, North York Moors (Image: Flickr/ALH1)

Living in Leeds offers the best of both worlds - you can enjoy all the benefits of a thriving city but you’re never too far from rolling hills and stunning scenery. Yeadon Tarn, the Meanwood Valley Trail and other green spaces are practically on your doorstep.

There is not a single national park in London, whereas Yorkshire’s got two: the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales. Hyde Park and St James’ Park just don’t cut it.

House prices

It’s no secret that you get more bang for your buck oop North compared to the south of England.

But let’s talk cold hard cash - the amount you’d pay for the average two-bedroom flat near London Bridge (£500K) would bag you not one but a BLOCK OF FIVE flats on the River Aire in Kirkstall - or you could opt for a stunning five-bedroom detached house in scenic Roundhay. Where’s the contest?

Yorkshire hospitality

Ah, the Tube. If David Attenborough narrated rush hour it would be like lions versus zebras - stalking the competition as you wait on the platform, pouncing when the doors open, then protecting the tiny space you’ve secured, snarling at anyone who comes too close.

The Tube: Mind the gap, and don't try to make friends

Strike up a natter on the Tube and you’ll quickly get a reputation as the weird Northerner - however, sit next to a little old lady on a bus in Leeds and during your 10-minute commute you’ll learn what she had tea last night, the names of her grandkids and what she thinks of Victoria Gate (spoiler: “It’s too dear”).

Walking

Need to run a few errands in Leeds? No problem - the city centre, while expanding, is still doable entirely on foot, and you can comfortably walk one end to the other in under an hour. Try that in London. I dare you. Paddington to Canary Wharf, for example, takes two-and-a-half hours. And that’s assuming you don’t get trapped in a shuffling pavement crowd...

Yorkshire Water

Have you ever tried to drink Yorkshire Tea in the south? I’ll save you the despair - it’s crap. I know this may sound daft, but Yorkshire water *makes* Yorkshire Tea. Even the right teabag won’t save you in London. And let’s face it, as most of us run on tea, it’s a dealbreaker.

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Yorkshire Tea

How do you make a cuppa? (Image: Yorkshire Tea)

Speaking of which, if Liam Gallagher, King of the Mancs, drinks Yorkshire Tea, I think it’s safe to say we’ve won the Battle of the Roses and can happily wear our teabag crown. While sitting on a throne of kettles.

Leeds Kirkgate Market

Leeds Kirkgate Market

Keep your Borough, Portobello Road, Camden Lock and Greenwich offerings - we’ve got the biggest covered market in all of Europe, Leeds Kirkgate Market. Birthplace of M&S, you can find everything you will ever need, stock up on amazing produce, fish and fresh meat and still have change from £20. Bargainous.

Leeds Arena

Leeds First Direct Arena

OK, London does pretty well on the live music front - and Wembley Stadium is iconic. But our own Leeds first direct Arena is truly revolutionary - it’s the first purpose-built fan-shaped arena in the UK where all seats face the stage and boasts ‘the best acoustic experience of any large arena venue in the country’. ‘Av it, 02.

Connections

Leeds is a fantastic city - but even better, it’s well connected. You’re only a train ride away from the northern powerhouses of Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle, a day out in York is less than an hour away and Sheffield is a quick trip down the M1.

Leeds Train Station

The north is your playground from Leeds - but leaving London can be a whole other ordeal.

The hell that is Kings Cross in rush hour, the need to muck about with different train stations depending on where you’re trying to claw your way out to and, if you drive (god forbid), the vibrating car park that is the M25. You’re better off staying put.

Proper pubs

Whitelocks Ale House, Leeds (Image: Adam Bruderer/Flickr)

London might have fancy gastropubs, wine bars - or hipster micropubs selling American IPAs for £8 a pint. But up here we like local ales, comfy seats, bar staff that call everyone ‘love’ regardless of gender and packets of thick crisps on tables, opened wide for you and your mates to share. Or we’ll have a pie please, to share with the pub dog. And we’ll drink from old-school pint pots with thick glass handles and we’ll all cheer if someone breaks something. Because that is what pubs should be like.

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Local delicacies

Yorkshire puddings vs jellied eels. We win.

Happiness

Rightmove has found that Harrogate, just up the road, is one of the happiest places in the UK. London (well, Richmond upon Thames) trailed behind in eighth. Leeds came in 77th place - but most of London sat between 100-159. We’ll take that.

Annoying tourists

OK, so we do get tourists in Leeds, especially in summer, and the weekends are full of stags and hens - but we don’t get invaded by holidaymakers quite as much as London does. We don’t have to cope with week after week of Americans asking us where to find the Queen, for a start. If you’ve ever been in the capital during a royal event you’ll know what we mean.

Traffic

Yeah, if the M62 breaks we’re all doomed, and Kirkstall Road can be like the path to Mordor at times. But (and I tell you from personal, painful experience) you do not know traffic hell until you’ve used the M25. If you get up to 40mph you feel like you’re speeding. And I’d bet most people would rather give their licences back than tackle central London on four wheels.

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Renting

A one-bed flat around London Bridge, on average, costs an eye-watering £2,000 per month. Less than half of that (around £800) can bag you you a two-bed Leeds city-centre apartment with your own balcony and a riverfront view. And you’ll probably have enough left post-rent and bills to, you know, have a life.

Cycling

Cycle on the roads of central London and you’re taking your life into your own hands, thanks to impatient cabbies, endless buses and clueless pedestrians. In Leeds you can enjoy a scenic ride along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, enjoy routes that were part of the 2014 Tour de France alongside the River Wharfe, breathe in the fresh air on the Aireborough Greenway - and you probably won’t get run over. Win.

Yorkshire Day

White rose flag of Yorkshire

A day to celebrate everything that makes Yorkshire brilliant, and rejoice at calling one of its finest cities home. London Day, anyone? Didn’t think so.

S’no panic

Up here, a bit of snow can cause some traffic problems, but we just wrap up warm and crack on, taking time out for the odd snowball fight or to build a snowman. In London, however, a solitary flake can fall from the sky and all of a sudden it’s SNOW CAUSES HEATHROW TRAVEL CHAOS!/ LONDON BROUGHT TO A STANDSTILL!/ SNOW GRINDS CAPITAL TO A HALT! Get a grip, London.